Blizzard, Wells
- When
- January 21, 11:00 PM CST to January 22, 5:00 PM CST
- Where
- Wells forecast zone
- Property damage
- $790,000
- Coordinates
- 47.588, -99.661 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard in North Dakota, January 21 to 22, 1997
The last in a string of 4 blizzards to hit North Dakota struck in the morning of the 22nd. Snow amounts with this storm ranged from 2-4 inches, but northwest winds gusted to near 45 mph.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 8 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
- Tornadoes
- Tropical storms and surge
- Floods
- Wind
- Hail
- Winter weather
- Heat and drought
- Cold
- Fire, smoke and dust
- Marine and coastal
- Other
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 10
- Property damage
- $6.3 million
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 8
Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.
What happened
The episode as NWS BIS wrote it up.
The last in a string of 4 blizzards to hit North Dakota struck in the morning of the 22nd. Snow amounts with this storm ranged from 2-4 inches, but northwest winds gusted to near 45 mph. Again, east-central and eastern North Dakota were hardest hit. I-29 in North Dakota and I-94 from Bismarck to Fargo were closed again. Injuries and damage amounts estimated.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
8 blizzard. Local standard time, as filed.
Blizzard, Foster
- When
- January 21, 11:00 PM CST to January 22, 5:00 PM CST
- Where
- Foster forecast zone
- Property damage
- $790,000
- Coordinates
- 47.457, -98.883 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Kidder
- When
- January 21, 11:00 PM CST to January 22, 5:00 PM CST
- Where
- Kidder forecast zone
- Injuries
- 4 direct, 0 indirect
- Property damage
- $790,000
- Coordinates
- 46.980, -99.780 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Stutsman
- When
- January 21, 11:00 PM CST to January 22, 5:00 PM CST
- Where
- Stutsman forecast zone
- Injuries
- 4 direct, 0 indirect
- Property damage
- $790,000
- Coordinates
- 46.979, -98.959 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Logan
- When
- January 21, 11:00 PM CST to January 22, 5:00 PM CST
- Where
- Logan forecast zone
- Property damage
- $790,000
- Coordinates
- 46.457, -99.477 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, La Moure
- When
- January 21, 11:00 PM CST to January 22, 5:00 PM CST
- Where
- La Moure forecast zone
- Injuries
- 1 direct, 0 indirect
- Property damage
- $790,000
- Coordinates
- 46.457, -98.535 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, McIntosh
- When
- January 21, 11:00 PM CST to January 22, 5:00 PM CST
- Where
- McIntosh forecast zone
- Property damage
- $790,000
- Coordinates
- 46.112, -99.441 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Dickey
- When
- January 21, 11:00 PM CST to January 22, 5:00 PM CST
- Where
- Dickey forecast zone
- Injuries
- 1 direct, 0 indirect
- Property damage
- $790,000
- Coordinates
- 46.110, -98.505 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
What these are
- Blizzard
- Sustained winds or frequent gusts of 35 mph or more with falling or blowing snow that cuts visibility below a quarter mile for three hours or longer.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Debris Flow in Puerto Rico, January 21, 1997
- Winter Weather in New York, January 21 to 22, 1997
- High Wind in Colorado, January 21, 1997
- Blizzard in North Dakota, January 21 to 22, 1997
- Blizzard in Minnesota, January 21 to 22, 1997
- Winter Weather in Wisconsin, January 21 to 22, 1997
- Winter Storm in Montana, January 21, 1997
- Heavy Snow in Colorado, January 21, 1997
- Heavy Snow in Montana, January 21, 1997
- Heavy Snow in Utah, January 21, 1997
- Flooding in Illinois, January 21 to 31, 1997
- High Wind in Hawaii, January 21, 1997
More
Every storm in North Dakota in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyWarnings in North Dakota, January 1997
Sources
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5587360, 5587361, 5587362, 5587363, 5587364, 5587365, 5587366, 5587367.